.oX*;<<^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


!l.l 


Li|21  125 
■tt  122  12.2 
Sf   Ifto    12.0 


L25iU  |L6 


A* 


7 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporalion 


4^ 


'^^ 


\ 


<^ 


^. 


V 


'^^^^^O 

^^> 


i\ 


73  WiST  {MAIN  STMHT 

WliSTW.N.Y.  14SI0 

<:716)t73-4S03 


'^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
mi 


Canadian  Inatituta  for  Hiatorical  Microraproductiona  /  Inatltut  Canadian  da  microraproductiona  hiatoriquaa 


Taehnieal  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notaa  tachniquaa  at  Mblloflraphlquaa 


Tha  Inatltuta  haa  ottamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  avallabia  for  fUmlng.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  MMiographlcally  unlqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


M 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Colourad  covers/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


r~n  Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagAa 

Covars  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastauria  at/ou  pailicuMa 


I     I   Covar  titia  missing/ 


La  titra  ds  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  maps/ 

Cartas  gAographiquas  an  coulaur 

Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  biua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noiral 


I     I   Colourad  platas  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planchas  at/ou  illustrations  an  coulaur 


Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autras  documents 


Tight  binding  may  causa  shadows  or  distortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  roliura  sarrAe  paut  causar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marga  intAriaura 

Blank  laavas  addad  during  rastoratlon  nnay 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  possibla.  thasa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  so  pout  qua  cartainas  pagas  blanchas  ajoutias 
iors  d'una  rostauration  apparaissant  dans  la  taxta. 
mais,  lorsqua  cala  Atait  possibla,  cas  pagas  n'ont 
pas  *t«  f  ilmias. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commantairas  supplimontairas; 


L'Inatltut  a  microfilm^  lo  molllaur  axamplalra 
qu1l  lul  a  4ti  poaalMa  da  aa  procurar.  Laa  d4taila 
da  eat  exemplaira  qui  aont  peut-ftre  unlquee  du 
point  do  vuo  MbNographlqua.  qui  peuvont  modifier 
une  image  reprodulte.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  normele  do  fllmage 
aont  IndiquAa  cl-daeeoua. 


D 
D 
D 

m 

D 
D 
D 
D 


Colourad  pagea/ 
Pagea  da  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Peges  ondommegAes 

Pages  restored  end/or  lemineted/ 
Pages  reetauries  at/ou  paillculAes 

Pagas  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Peges  dAcoiorAos,  tachatAos  ou  pIquAes 

Peges  detached/ 
Pages  dAtachAee 

Bhowthrough/ 
Trensperence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualit*  inigala  do  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  matiriel  supplAmentaira 

Only  edition  evallabie/ 
Beule  Mhion  diaponibie 

Pages  wholly  or  pertlelly  obscured  by  errate 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  heve  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  posslbki  Imege/ 
Les  peges  totelement  ou  partieilement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  peiure. 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmies  i  nouveeu  de  facon  i 
obtenir  la  meiileure  imege  possible. 


Tl 
tc 


fii 


o 

b4 
th 

Si( 

oi 
fii 

Sil 

or 


Tl 
sli 
Tl 


M 
dl. 

•n 

be 

rifl 
re* 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  riduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

1UX  14X  18X  22X 


2SX 


30X 


y 

n 

12X 


lex 


20X 


a4x 


ax 


32X 


The  copy  filmMl  hw  Hm  bMn  r«produe«d  thanks 
to  th«  gwMrosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  ArcMvas  of  Britiih  Columbia 

Tho  imaoM  oppoarino  hara  ara  tha  bast  qualtty 
poaaibia  conaMaring  tt.a  condition  and  iafllbility 
of  tlM  orioinai  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  capias  in  printad  papar  covers  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  ending  on 
tha  laat  page  'vith  a  printed  or  illustreted  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  covar  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  ere  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  pege  with  e  printed  or  illustreted  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  lest  pege  with  a  printed 
or  illustreted  impression. 


The  lest  recorded  freme  on  eech  microfiche 
shell  contein  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (mMninq  "END"), 
whichever  epplies. 

Meps.  pistes,  cherts,  etc..  mey  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  retios.  Those  too  lerge  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hend  corner,  left  tc 
right  end  top  to  bottom,  es  mony  fremes  ss 
required.  The  following  dieerems  Miustrete  the 
method: 


L'e»empleire  film4  fut  reproduit  grice  A  le 
ginArosIt*  do: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Les  imeges  suh^entee  ont  4t*  reproduites  svec  le 
plus  grend  soin,  compte  tenu  do  le  condition  et 
do  le  nettet*  de  I'eKompieire  film*,  et  en 
conformitA  evec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmege. 

Les  exempleires  origineux  dont  le  couverture  en 
pepier  est  imprimAe  sent  f limAs  en  commen^ent 
per  le  premier  plet  et  en  terminent  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustretion.  soit  per  le  second 
plet,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  las  eutres  exempleires 
origineux  sent  fiimAs  en  commen^ent  per  le 
premlAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminent  par 
la  darniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  appareltra  sur  la 
darnlAre  imege  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
ces:  le  symbols  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartas,  planches,  tobleeux.  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsqus  le  document  est  trop  grend  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  I'engle  supArieur  geuche.  de  geuche  A  droite. 
et  de  heut  en  bos.  en  prenent  le  nombre 
d'images  hAcesseire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  le  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

S 

6 

WJ 


rt^fW 


i    .  1  ii^,u,i,.  i,,jiL,.ii..ii.     .y.j^jjp^pw^^ 


/lea/ 


— — ~    —                   ■ ■■■          ■ — ■     "•    -~ -■ ■ 

s 

DYING    FOR    OUR    COUNTRY: 

A 

S  KRMON 

OM   THK 

- 

DEATH    OF    OAPT.    J.    SEWALL    REED 

AND 

REV.  THOMAS  STARR  KING; 

PBRACHRD   in   1<IIK>                                         "               ' 

FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH  IN  MILTON, 

i. 

March  13,  1864. 

i, 

rx        V'-i^^ 

1 

yvt  *     ,.r       BY  JOHN   H.   MORISON. 

\        y                              — 

• 
BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  JOHN   WILSON  AND  SON, 

t 

6,  Water  Stkrkt. 

1864. 

-. 1 

m: 


-5^/? 


CoUectLo/v 


-^ 


i 


\. 


DYING    FOH    OUR    COUNTRY: 


SERMON 


O.N    TMS 


DEATH    OF    CAPT.    J.    SEWALL    REED 


AND 


REV.  THOMAS   STARR  KING; 


PUKACHED    IN    THU 


FIRST   CONGllEGATIONAL   CHURCH   IN  MILTON, 


Maucii   13,  1864. 


BY   JOHN   II.    MORISON. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED   BY   JOHN   WILSON  AND   SON, 

5,  Wateu  Strkkt. 

18G4. 


■I 


V 


SERMON. 


John  XT.  18:  "Grbater  lovk  hath  so  man  thaw  this,  that  a  man  lay 

DOWN   HIS  LIFE  FOR   HIS  FRIENDB.'* 


I 
I 


These  words  were  spoken  by  our  Saviour  the  even- 
ing before  his  crucifixion,  and  refer  to  his  own  death, 
—  that  great  event,  which,  in  connection  with  his 
teachings  and  his  acts,  has  wrought  such  a  change  in 
the  moral  convictions,  the  spiritual  insight,  and  the 
rehgious  life,  of  the  world.  The  whole  plane  of  our 
being  has  been  lifted  up  and  enlarged  by  the  senti- 
ment here  expressed,  illustrated  and  confirmed  as  it 
was  so  speedily  by  his  death,  and  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead.  The  end  for  which  we  are  bom  has  thus 
been  projected  into  higher  realms.  This  world  has 
been  enriched  and  glorified  by  the  light  which  streams 
upon  it  from  the  world  of  spiritual  life  and  joy  in 
which  he  lives,  and  which  he  has  brought  into  more 
evident  and  vital  relations  with  us.  Because  he  lives, 
we  shall  live  also.  As  we  live  and  believe  in  him,  we 
are  made  partakers  of  his  life,  and  already  become 
members  of  that  kingdom  which  rises  over  us,  which 
enfolds  us  in  its  embrace,  and  carries  up  into  its  wide 


I 


104717 


and  holy  realm  tlie  souls  of  his  followers,  and  the 
work  which  seems  unfinished  and  in  vain  because  of 
their  premature  departure  from  the  earth. 

Here  is  one  of  the  decisive  tests  of  discipleship  indi- 
cated by  Jesus.  lie  who  so  lives  amid  the  higher 
sentiments  and  affections  of  our  religion  as  to  subordi- 
nate every  thing  else  to  them  is  recognized  as  belong- 
ing to  him.  Thus  it  is,  that  he  who  loses  his  life  for 
his  sake  shall  find  it.  That  is,  he  who,  at  the  com- 
mand of  higher  obligations,  disregards  this  visible, 
apparent,  earthly  life,  enters  into  the  unseen,  substan- 
tial, eternal  life,  and,  so  far,  is  lifted  up  into  his  wider 
sphere  of  pure,  unselfish  living. 

Here  is  a  real  ground  of  distinction  between  those 
who  are  followers  of  Christ  and  those  who  are  not. 
If  you  find  a  man  to  whom  property  or  life  is  more 
sacred  duty,  you  may  be  sure  that  he  has  not 

entered  in.o  the  spirit  of  Jesus.  If  you  meet  a  man 
who  scoff's  at  the  finer  sentiments  of  our  nature,  and, 
in  respect  to  the  greatest  sacrifices  which  are  made  to 
them,  asks,  "  Why  all  this  waste? "  you  may  be  sure 
that  he  is  unable  to  know  any  thing  of  the  ideas  which 
Jesus  came  to  declare,  or  the  life  which  he  came  to 
impart.  Here,  more  than  in  any  ecclesiastical  or  theo- 
logical opinions  or  professions,  is  the  best  test  of  our 
allegiance  to  Christ.  He  who  resists  temptation  to 
wTong-doing,  and  in  his  life  keeps  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world ;  he  who  preserves  the  sweetness  of 
his  affections,  and,  delighting  to  do  what  he  can  for 
the  comfort  and  happiness  of  otliers,  forgets  himself 


in  his  devotion  to  them ;  he  who  esteems  the  cause  of 
righteousness  more  sacred  than  that  of  self-interest, 
who  considers  the  integrity  and  life  of  his  country  as 
of  more  importance  than  any  private  end,  and  who,  so 
believing,  gi\es  his  life  in  attestation  of  his  belief,  — 
he  so  far  enters  into  the  spirit  of  orr  Lord,  and  ap- 
proves himself  his  follower  and  disciple. 

"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man 
lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends."  He  who  spoke 
these  words  died  in  order  that  the  world  might  be 
drawn  towards  him,  and,  through  faith  in  him,  be 
made  partakers  of  his  divine  and  eternal  life.  His 
immediate  followers,  with  no  country  except  the 
spiritual  community  in  which  they  were  united,  were 
called  often  to  attest  their  fidelity  to  him  by  dying  as 
witnesses  to  his  truth ;  and,  the  more  they  died,  the 
more  their  numbers  multiplied,  and  their  cause  pre- 
vailed. When  prosperity  and  ease  and  life  became 
dearer  to  them  than  their  faith  in  Christ,  and  their 
fidelity  to  him,  then  their  cause  languished,  and  their 
religion  became  inoperative  and  dead. 

Those  times  of  martyrdom,  in  the  forms  in  which  it 
then  existed,  have  passed  away.  But  there  are  other 
trials  which  furnish  the  same  test  of  character,  and  in 
which  our  fidelity,  even  unto  death,  is  as  essential  to 
the  rectitude  of  our  own  lives  and  the  advancement  of 
God's  kingdoni  on  the  earth. 

The  highest  conception  we  can  form  of  a  Christian 
commonwealth  is  that  of  a  great  spiritual  community, 
the  unseen  Church  of  Christ,  in  which  his  ransomf  d 


ones  of  all  ages  and  lands  are  gathered  together,  and 
which,  in  one  unbroken  communion,  reaches  down 
f^om  heaven  to  earth,  and  draws  into  its  embrace,  from 
every  kindred  and  nation  and  tongue,  those  who  fear 
God  and  work  righteousness. 

This  is  the  highest  idea  that  we  can  form  of  a 
Christian  commonwealth.  Next  to  this,  and,  in  its 
highest  state,  beyond  any  tlnng  that  the  world  has  yet 
known,  coincident  with  it,  is  the  idea  of  a  Christian 
people,  united  together  in  one  great  commonwealth ; 
protected  by  wise  and  equal  laws  ;  owing  allegiaice  to 
the  same  government ;  looking  to  the  national  flag  as 
the  emblem  of  liberty  and  justice,  of  union  and  strength, 
the  ensign  of  a  nation  ready  to  put  forth  ail  its  energies 
to  defend  the  rights  of  the  weakest  citizen  against  the 
most  powerful  empire  on  the  earth ;  guarding  all  its 
children  with  equal  care ;  opening  its  schools  to  rich 
and  poor  alike  ;  protectmg  churches  and  hospitals,  and 
all  benign  institutions  and  charities ;  raising  highways 
through  the  wilderness  for  the  houseless ;  preparing 
homesteads  for  the  homeless ;  and,  like  the  gi*eat  Bene- 
factor of  our  race,  sending  out  its  gracious  invitations 
into  distant  lands,  and  inviting  people  of  every  rank 
and  condition,  but  especially  the  poor,  the  down- 
trodden, and  the  oppressed,  to  come,  without  money 
and  without  price,  to  share  with  us  the  privileges  that 
we  and  our  children  enjoy.  Next  to  the  idea  of  the 
universal  Church  of  Christ,  reaching  from  earth  to 
heaven,  through  all  ages  and  all  lands,  is  this  idea  of 
a  Christian  commonwealth,  reaching  from  ocean   to 


ocean,  —  from  the  lakes  and  forests  of  tlie  North 
almost  to  the  tropics ;  admmistering  its  laws  with  an 
authority  so  gentle,  that  we  were  hardly  conscious  of 
its  pressure  ;  while  its  benefactions  visited  us  like  the 
dews  and  the  providence  of  (iod,  —  so  silently,  that  we 
forgot  to  be  thankful  for  them.  No  such  common- 
wealth as  this  of  ours  ever  before  existed,  —  no  one  so 
free,  and  yet  so  secure ;  so  little  interfering  with  indi- 
vidual rights,  and  yet  so  universally  extending  its  pro- 
tection and  its  gifts  to  all.  "We  began  oui  life  as  a 
people  here  in  the  wilderness.  "NVe  grew  up  by  the 
neglect  of  the  nation  which  had  authority  o\er  us. 
Our  institutions,  our  government,  and  our  laws  were 
left  to  form  themselves  around  us,  like  our  bodies,  by 
no  arbitrary  rules,  but  almost  as  a  natural  giovvth  from 
the  vital  forces  which  were  at  work  within.  The  old 
governments  and  nations  of  the  earth,  which  at  first 
despised  or  ignored  us,  at  length  began  to  look  upon  us 
with  admiration  and  fear.  We  were  rapidly  preparing, 
in  the  regular  progress  of  our  advancement,  to  take 
our  place  as  the  foremost  among  them  all ;  and  except 
for  one  cruel  injustice,  allowed  by  our  government, 
and  binding  its  chams  on  four  millions  of  helpless  peo- 
ple, its  influence  was  more  and  more  felt  throughout 
the  world  in  favor  of  freedom  and  justice,  and  against 
the  old  despotisms  which  had  so  long  oppressed  the 
hearts  and  hopes  of  men.  This,  my  friends,  was  the 
commonwealth  in  which  we  were  born  ;  under  whose 
laws,  and  in  whose  institutions,  we  were  nurtured. 
Lived  there  ever  a  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth 


8 


who  had  so  much  reason  to  honor  and  reverence  and 
sustain  the  Government  which  threw  its  protecting 
arms  and  laws  around  them ;  whose  blessings  were  '  ^ 
many,  and  its  burdens  so  light?  If  foreign  nations 
had  leagued  themselves  together  to  overthrow  and  de- 
stroy it,  should  we  not  have  esteemed  it  a  privilege  and 
a  joy  to  lay  down  our  lives  in  its  defence  ?  If  traitors 
at  home  should  league  themselves  together,  and,  after 
secretly  plotting  against  it  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  should  aim  theu*  murderous  weapons  at  the 
bosom  from  which  their  life  and  ours  alike  was  drawn, 
though  they  were  a  thousand  times  our  brethren,  could 
we  stand  by,  and  see  them  murder  the  common  mother 
of  us  all  ?  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that 
he  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends."  And  here  traitors, 
with  murderous  hands  and  thoughts,  are  trying  to  cut 
in  pieces  and  destroy  the  dear  and  venerated  form  of 
her,  who,  as  our  common  mother,  has  pressed  us  all  to 
her  bosom,  and  who,  with  bleeding  countenance  and  an 
expression  of  infinite  sorrow,  looks  imploringly  to  us 
for  our  support.  By  all  that  is  most  sacred  in  life,  by 
our  reverence  for  Chiist  and  the  righteous  laws  which 
he  would  have  us  obey,  by  what  we  owe  to  our  chil- 
dren's children,  she  calls  upon  us  to  save  her  from  this 
act  of  treachery  and  murder;  to  save  our  national 
honor  and  life ;  to  uphold  through  her  the  supremacy 
of  wise  and  equal  laws;  to  leave  her  with  added  purity, 
so  as  to  awaken  a  deeper  love  and  reverence  among 
those  who  shall  come  after  us.  Shall  we  not  obey  her 
call,  and  lay  down  our  lives  if  need  be,  freely,  in  de- 


9 


Jverence  and 
;s  protecting 
ngs  were  '  ^ 
5ign  nations 
row  and  de- 
rivilege  and 

If  traitors 
^  and,  after 

quarter  of 
pons  at  the 
vas  drawn, 
iren,  could 
ion  mother 
1  this,  that 
re  traitors, 
'^^g  to  cut 
d  form  of 
3  us  all  to 
ce  and  an 
gly  to  us 
n  life,  by 
^'s  which 
our  chil- 
Tom  this 
national 
premacy 
1  purity, 

among 
bey  her 
5  in  de- 


1 


fence  of  her,  who,  next  to  our  Saviour,  is  our  greatest 
benefactor  and  friend  ? 

This  is  the  appeal  which  "  our  own,  our  native 
land "  has  been  making  to  her  children  for  the  last 
three  years.  And  not  in  vain.  No  call  of  a  suflfering 
parent  was  ever  more  bravely  or  more  faithfully  and 
reverently  obeyed.  From  every  walk  of  life,  and  for 
every  post  of  duty,  her  sons  have  come  forth ;  and 
thus  we  have  been  enabled  to  see,  as  never  before, 
what  specimens  of  lai'ge  and  generous  manhood  had 
grown  up  under  her  care.  From  our  common-schools 
and  our  colleges,  from  poor  men's  homes  and  rich 
men's  homes,  young  men,  moved  by  a  comraoji  enthu- 
siasm, have  gone  forth,  side  by  side,  to  confront  a  com- 
mon danger,  and  to  preserve  the  integrity  and  life  of 
the  nation.  Examples  have  been  given  of  a  heroism 
as  beautiful,  of  a  gentleness  as  whining,  of  a  generosi- 
ty as  noble,  of  a  fidelity  as  sacred,  and  a  reliance  on 
God  as  devout  and  unfaltering,  as  any  that  are  to  be 
found  in  the  pages  of  history  or  of  poetry.  I  cannot 
think  of  them,  whether  living  or  dead,  otherwise  than 
with  gratitude  and  honor.  Then*  names  will  be  kept 
among  us  as  watchwords  to  kindle  the  patriotism  of 
the  young  in  all  coming  generations,  and  to  keep  alive 
their  reverer  :e  for  "whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  lovely  and  of  good  report." 
While  they  live,  let  our  prayers  call  down  the  protec- 
tion and  benediction  of  Heaven  upon  them;  and,  when 
they  die,  let  their  names  and  memory  be  cherished  as 
the  dearest  and  most  sacred  of  oiu*  treasmes. 


10 


I 


I  wish  to  speak  this  morning  of  two  men,  in  widely 
different  spheres  of  activity,  equally  devoted  to  the 
same  cause,  and  equally,  I  think,  laying  down  their 
lives  for  their  country,  within  the  last  few  w^eeks. 
One  of  them  was  bom  and  passed  his  early  years 
within  sight  of  this  church.  This  quiet  scene  of  rural 
loveliness  surrounding  the  home  of  his  childhood;  these 
trees,  standing  here  as  God's  sentinels  to  protect  and 
guard  his  house  of  worship  ;  these  roads  and  fields ; 
this  house  of  prayer,  and  the  Sunday  school  connected 
with  it,  —  all,  doubtless,  had  their  influence  in  forming 
his  character,  and  preparing  him  for  the  responsible 
duties  that  were  to  be  laid  upon  him.  He  was  thirteen 
years  old  when  I  came  here  in  January,  1846.  Once 
in  that  winter,  by  reason  of  a  most  violent  storm,  I 
preached  to  an  audience  of  five  persons ;  and  he  was 
one  of  the  five.  He  had  no  advantages  of  education 
which  any  boy  among  us  may  not  have.  He  went  to 
the  town-school ;  and  then,  for  a  short  time,  was  a 
student  in  the  academy  under  the  instruction  of  Mr. 
Ezra  Ripley,  —  a  man  of  high  purposes,  of  rare  purity, 
integrity,  and  modesty,  who,  at  the  commencement  of 
this  war,  left  an  extensive  and  increasing  practice  at 
the  bar,  and  carried  Avith  him  into  the  military  service 
the  brave  and  persistent  resolution,  the  keen  sense  of 
right,  aud  the  instinctive  hatred  of  wrong,  for  which 
he  had  been  distinguished  in  civil  life.  After  more 
than  two  years  of  faithful  and  efficient  service,  he  died 
near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  a  few  weeks  after  the  capture 
of  that  city.     The  ability  with  which  he  acted,  and 


in  widely 
'd  to  the 
>wn  their 
V  weeks, 
rfy  years 
of  rural 
5d;  these 
tect  and 

tJ  fields; 

)nnected 
forming 

ponsible 

thirteen 
Once 

torm,  I 
he  was 

ucation 

vent  to 
was  a 

of  Mr. 

purity, 

ent  of 

tice  at 

ervice 

ise  of 

ivhich 

more 

t  died 

ptui'e 

)  and 


11 

the  value  of  the  services  which  he  rendered,  were  very 
inadequately  represented  by  the  position  which  he 
held  as  lieutenant  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Regiment  of 
Massachusetts  Volunteers. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen,  James  Sewall  Reed  went 
to  California,  where,  beginning  as  a  day-laborer  in 
some  mechanical  employment,  he  worked  his  way  up 
to  a  post  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  a  large  mercan- 
tile house,  whose  confidence  and  respect  he  always 
afterwards  retained.  Few  among  us  knew  the  tempta- 
tions to  which  our  young  men  were  then  exposed  in 
that  distant  land,  freed  as  they  were  from  all  the  re- 
straints of  home,  and  from  the  legal  and  moral  safe- 
guards which  are  furnished  by  the  laws  and  habits  of 
a  well-ordered  community.  It  is  the  testimony  of  those 
who  knew  him  best  through  his  whole  experience 
there,  that  he  never  took  advantage  of  the  disordered 
state  of  society  to  relax  the  severity  of  his  principles, 
or  to  give  up  any  thing  of  his  moral  purity  and  ingenu- 
ousness. At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  was  the  cap- 
tain of  a  military  company,  and  exercised  a  great  and 
salutar}^  influence  over  his  men.  He  spent  one  season 
in  Lower  CaUfornia,  and  the  next  on  Frr  zer's  River, 
where  he  was  brought  into  contact  with  the  Indians, 
whose  admiration  and  confidence  he  gained  by  his  re- 
markable courage  and  his  honesty,  and  whose  grate- 
ful and  devoted  ser\ices  he  secured  by  his  generosity 
and  kindness. 

At  length,  there  came  a  time  when  the  government 
of  CalifoiTiia  had  become  so  corrupt  that  the  laws 


~^,' 


12 


were  perverted,  and  courts  of  justice  turned  into  in- 
struments of  violence  and  wrong,  by  those  whose 
business  it  was  to  administer  them.  Neither  life  nor 
property  was  respected ;  and  some  of  the  best  citizens, 
who  had  made  themselves  obnoxious  to  wicked  and 
lawless  rulers,  were  shot  dead,  either  in  the  streets  or 
at  their  places  of  business.  The  courts  of  justice 
offered  no  redress,  but  sheltered  the  murderers  from 
harm.  It  was  one  of  those  rare  and  fearful  occasions 
which  are  not  likely  ever  to  occur  in  a  settled  commu- 
nity, under  our  popular  form  of  government,  when  the 
people  are  justified  in  taking  the  laws  into  their  own 
hands,  and  securing  the  ends  of  justice  by  a  summary 
and  illegal  process.  Here  our  friend,  as  a  military 
officer,  by  his  judgment,  his  perfect  fearlessness,  and 
the  ascendency  which  he  had  over  his  men,  rendered 
important  services  to  the  cause  of  good  government, 
and  secm'ed  for  himself,  on  a  larger  scale  than  before,  a 
name  and  a  place  in  the  community,  as  one  who  might 
be  relied  upon  in  any  great  and  perilous  emergency. 

When  the  civil  war  broke  out,  he  wished  to  offer 
himself  as  a  volunteer.  But  the  loyalty  of  California 
was  at  that  time  so  doubtful,  and  the  ties  which  bound 
her  to  the  Union  were  so  new  and  untried,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  loyal  citizens  were  more  needed,  and 
might  be  more  useful  to  the  Government,  there  than 
here.  But  he  got  out  his  military  books,  and  studied 
them  with  continuous  and  earnest  attention ;  and 
when  the  fervor  of  our  fiist  enthusiasm  here  in  the 
East  had  abated,  and  it  was  beginning  to  be  difficult  to 


I 


into  in- 
whose 
^ife  nor 
citizens, 
ed  and 
reets  or 

justice 
'^s  from 

casions 
ommu- 
len  the 

ir  own 

ttimary 

lilitary 

's,  and 

adered 

iment, 

'ore,  a 

might 
[cy. 

offer 

>rnia 

)und 

tt  it 

and 

flan 

ied 

nd 

he 

to 


13 


get  the  men  that  were  needed,  he,  with  a  friend,*  who, 
Hke  himself,  has  been  in  some  measure  connected  with 
this  religious  society,  determined  to  raise  a  company 
of  cavah-y.  Within  less  than  a  week,  five  hundred 
men  offered  themselves  as  volunteers.  But  they  could 
get  permission  to  enlist  only  one  hundred.  AVith 
these  picked  men  he  came  on  from  California  about 
jfifteen  montb'='  ago,  and  attached  himself  to  the  Second 
Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Cavalry.  The  expectations 
which  he  and  they  inspired  liwe  not  been  disappointed. 
He  had,  in  a  remarkable  cegree,  the  qualities  which 
endear  an  officer  to  his  men,  and  command  at  once 
their  confidence  and  their  obedience.  He  has  had  a 
trying  service,  and  has  always  been  fomid  equal  to  its 
requirements.  He  might  have  escaped  its  hardships. 
On  those  distant  shores  of  the  Pacific,  he  might  have 
remained  at  home,  without  any  imputation  upon  his 
patriotism  or  his  honor.  He  was  a  man  of  warm  do- 
mestic affections.  He  loved  his  home  with  its  comforts 
and  its  endearments.  Bat  the  voice  of  his  country, 
stabbed,  and  threatened  with  destruction,  by  the  treach- 
ery and  violence  of  her  own  sons,  calling  on  him  to 
give  his  services  and  his  life  in  her  defence,  was  a 
voice  which  he  could  not  resist.  He  has  fallen  in  the 
ii^^eness  of  his  early  manhood.  No  stain  rests  on  the 
fair  fame  which  he  has  bravely  and  honorably  won. 
The  more  closely  and  confidentially  I  have  inquired 
into  his  private  history  from  those  who  knew  him  best, 


•  Capt.  AicliibiiUl  M'Kemlry. 


14 

and  in  his  most  secret  walks,  the  more  unhesitating 
and  unequivocal  has  been  the  testimony  to  the  puri- 
ty and  the  integrity  of  his  life.     No  braver  man  lived  ; 
and  he  was  as  gentle  as  he  was  brave.     A  lady  who 
came  from  California  with  him,  and  whose  sympathies 
were  strongly  with  the  South,  said  she  knew  that  he 
was  a  brave  man,  because  he  was  so  gentle,  so  devoted, 
and  so  patient  in  his  attentions,  to  a  little,  helpless 
child.    And  so  it  usually  is.    The  finest  qualities  of  gen- 
tleness and  modesty,  of  love  and  reverence,  are  those 
which  entwme  themselves  most  closely  and  tenderly 
around  the  strongest.     In  the  field  or  the  camp,  when 
others  were  tired  out  or  discouraged,  he  was  always 
cheerful,  and  dispelled  their  despondency  by  the  conta- 
gion of  his  own  light-hearted  and  mirthful  spirit.    Let- 
ters from  the  camp  say  that  it  is  dull  and  sad  there  now, 
without  him.    But  he  has  fallen  in  the  performance  of  a 
great  and  solemn  duty.    He  pledged  himself  to  a  sacred 
cause,  and  he  has  fulfilled  his  pledge.     These  trees 
and  hills  will  be  clothed  with  a  fresher  green ;  these 
homes  will  be  more  secure,  and  better  worth  living  in ; 
these  schools  will  be  filled  with  a  freer  and  more  do- 
cile succession  of  pupils ;  these  churches  will  be  con- 
secrated by  a  holier  worship,  a  purer  morality,  and  a 
loftier  faith ;  a  nobler  race  will  walk  our  streets  for 
generations  yet  to  come,  when  we  are  dead,  and  long 
centuries  hence,  —  because  of  the  life  which  he  and 
others  like  him  have  lived,  and  the  death  which  they 
have  died.     If  any  of  you  should  stand  weeping  by 
what  seems  to  you  their  untimely  graves,  remember 


o 


sitatiiig 


^^e  puri. 
'"an  Jived  ; 
^ady  who 

^^  that  he 

^  devoted, 

^eJpJess 


BSof 


gen- 


^'•e  those 
tenderly 
P»  when 

s  conta- 
^-    I^et- 
fe  now, 
ceofa 
sacred 
trees 
these 
gin; 
'  do- 
con- 
d  a 
for 
mg 
nd 

r 


15 


the  words  inscribed  on  the  tomb  at  Thonnopylte: 
"  Go,  tell  them  at  Larcdivmon  that  we  lie  here  in 
obedience  to  her  laws."  Or,  better  than  that,  with 
more  of  the  Christian  spirit  in  which  so  many  of  our 
young  men  have  entered  this  great  and  terrible  con- 
flict, write  upon  their  tombs,  or  at  least  associate  with 
their  memory,  the  words,  for  ever  consecrated  as  the 
words  of  Jesus,  and  sanctified  to  us  by  his  death : 
"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay 
do^vn  his  life  for  his  friends." 

The  day  after  our  friend,  with  many  tears  and  bless- 
ings, was  laid  in  his  grave,  the  news  came  from  San 
Francisco,  that  his  minister,  the  Rev.  Tho.mas  Starr 
King,  had  suddenly  died  that  morning.  There  was 
but  one  man  in  the  United  States  who  had  greater 
power  than  he  to  draw  together  vast  assemblies  of 
men,  enchain  them  by  his  generous  thoughts,  and 
charge  them  with  his  own  enthusiasm.  When  this 
wicked  war  was  forced  upon  us  by  the  assault  on  Fort 
Sumter,  and  it  was  doubtful  which  side  the  new  State 
on  the  Pacific  might  join,  Mr.  King  gave  himself  to 
his  country  with  a  purpose  as  brave  and  as  solemn  as 
if  he  had  thrown  himself  upon  the  most  desperate 
battle-field.  He  traversed  the  State.  He  lectured;  he 
preached ;  he  prayed.  He  electrified  great  masses  of 
men  with  his  OAvn  self-forgetting  patriotism.  He  caused 
the  sentiment  of  national  honor  and  enthusiasm  to 
thrill  through  them,  and  buid  them  to  their  country 
with  a  warm  and  unfaltering  devotion.  There  was  in 
in  him  no  jealousy,  no  narrow  thought  of  self,  to  dim 


16 


the  clearness  of  his  eye  ;  no  ugly  ambition  to  gnaw  at 
his  heart-strings,  and  interfere  with  his  kindly  judg- 
ments, or  prompt  to  ill-natured  and  ungenerous  re- 
marks upon  the  chai'acter  and  motives  of  others.  An 
intimate  friend  of  his,  who  preached  about  him  last 
Sunday,  with  singular  felicity  of  adaptation  entitled 
his  sermon  "  The  Unspotted  Life."  He  had  what  no 
bad  man  ever  has,  —  a  laugh  which  rung  as  clear  and 
mirthful  as  the  tones  of  a  Christmas  bell.  When  he 
went  from  us,  he  bore  with  him  the  light-heartedness, 
the  elasticity,  and  the  joyousness  of  a  boy.  But  I 
learn  that  one,  who  saw  him  a  short  time  ago,  said  that 
he  looked  then  like  an  old  man.  The  labors  and  the 
responsibilities  of  a  lifetime,  crowded  with  such  inten- 
sity into  those  few  brief  months,  had  told  upon  him 
as  the  work  of  years,  and  probably  left  him  ^vithout 
strength  to  bear  up  under  a  disease  which  otherwise 
might  haxe  had  no  fatal  power  over  him.  I  have  little 
doubt,  that,  like  hundreds  of  other  loyal  men  at  their 
various  posts  of  duty  in  civil  life,  he  died  "  a  blessed 
martyr"  to  his  country,  as  truly  as  if  he  had  been  slain 
upon  the  battle-field. 

The  last  Sunday  that  Capt.  Reed  and  his  "  Califor- 
nia Hundred  "  spent  in  San  Francisco,  they  attended 
Mr.  King's  church.  His  concluding  words,  which  I 
read  from  a  copy  written  in  his  own  clear  hand  as 
a  parting  memorial  to  his  friend  Capt.  Reed,  were 
these :  "  God  bless  you,  brother  Americans,  for  your 
readiness,  for  your  zeal,  for  your  pure  offering  of  devot- 
edness,  which  to-day  add  force  as  well  as  illustration 


«V'  ■ ,-,., 


^  ^  gnaw  at 
''""^^y  judg. 
enerous  re- 
others.    Aj^ 
^^  ^Jm  last 
*»  entitled 
^  ^vhat  no 
ciear  and 
^^en  he 
'^fedness, 
But  I 
5aid  that 
aiid  the 
fi  inten- 
»n  him 
^'thout 

5  Jittle 
their 
essed 
sJain 

ifor- 
ded 
hi 
as 
?re 
ur 
•t- 
n 


17 


to  the  pleadings  of  the  gospel  with  our  hearts !  You 
are  not '  weary '  of  the  cull  and  the  strain  of  patriot- 
ism. There  are  those  at  the  East  who  are.  They 
wear  no  wounds  or  scars.  They  have  not  exposed 
their  lives.  .  .  .  And  you,  in  these  same  hours, 
seek  the  opportunity  ox  pledging  strength  and  skill, 
and  blood  and  breath,  to  our  country's  inteoritv  and 
honor.  Heaven  hear  our  prayers  for  you,  and  cover 
you  with  its  benediction!  .  .  .  May  the  flash  of 
your  blades,  if  you  are  called  into  battle,  be  the  dawn 
of  a  better  age  for  your  country !  .  .  .  Go,  brethren : 
do  your  tremendous  duty  with  dedicated  hearts ;  in 
the  fear  of  God,  which  roots  out  all  other  fear ;  in 
allegiance  to  Christ ;  with  the  New  Testament  very 
near  your  hand,  and  its  appeals  very  sweet  to  your 
souls !  '  Be  not  weary  with  well-doing,'  though  your 
marches  be  long,  and  your  hope  of  speedy  success 
denied.  In  due  time  you  shall  reap,  if  you  faint  not ; 
and,  if  those  you  leave  at  home  be  not  cowards  and 
traitors  both,  you  shall  reap,  though  you  bleed,  though 
you  be  maimed,  though  you  die ;  you  shall  reap  in 
your  country's  redemption  and  renewal,  in  the  honor 
that  will  invest  your  names  in  future  years,  in  your 
reward  in  the  better  world." 

These,  my  friends,  are  great  words  of  exhortation 
and  of  promise.  And  shall  they  not  be  fulfilled? 
Both  he  who  spoke  them,  and  the  leader  of  those  to 
whom  they  were  spoken,  have  laid  down  their  lives  in 
attestation  of  theii'  truth,  and  have  entered  into  their 
reward.    It  remains  for  us  who  yet  live  to  follow  them 


18 


1 1 


by  consecrating  ourselves  anew  to  the  cause  for  which 
they  died,  and  by  carrying  on,  in  whatever  sphere  of 
activity  we  can,  the  work  which  they  have  left  unfin- 
ished. It  was  well  that  our  friend  who  died  in  battle 
for  us  should  be  buried  with  every  demonstration  of 
love  and  honor,  and  that  his  name  should  be  held  in 
everlasting  remembrance  by  those  who  wish  well  to 
their  country ;  and  when  our  brother  on  the  shore  of 
a  distant  ocean,  amid  peaceful  pursuits,  fell  almost  as 
suddenly  at  his  post  of  duty,  it  was  well  that  places  of 
business  should  be  closed,  and  flags  at  half-mast,  and  a 
whole  community  sorrowing  as  under  a  great  and 
common  bereavement  in  the  home  of  his  adoption, 
and  that  here  words  of  tender  and  reverent  commemo- 
ration should  be  uttered.  But  we  shall  praise  them 
best,  we  shall  most  truly  honor  their  name  and  their 
memory,  when  we  do  as  they  have  done,  and  in 
thought  and  word,  in  heart  and  deed,  give  ourselves  to 
the  work  for  which  they  lived  and  died.  To  us,  as 
to  them,  our  Saviour's  words  apply :  "  Greater  love 
hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life 
for  his  friends." 


11) 


•r  which 
•iicre  of 
unfin- 
battJe 
tion  of 
leld  in 
Hi  to 
ore  of 
lost  as 
ices  of 
and  a 
and 
Ption, 
lemo- 
them 
their 
i  in 
>s  to 
)  as 
ove 
life 


CAPT.  J.   SEWALL   REED. 


At  my  requeat,  Mrs.  Rcofl  furnished  mo  with  a  littlo  sketch 
of  her  husband's  life,  to  bo  used  in  making  up  my  account 
of  his  services;  but  it  is  so  much  better  than  any  tiling  I 
can  prepare,  that,  without  asking  her  permission,  I  liave 
taken  the  hberty  of  retaining  it  in  nearly  the  sanio  form  in 
which  I  received  it.  In  some  parts,  I  have  condensed  it  a 
little ;  but  I  am  sure  that  no  one  can  read  it  through  with- 
out a  feeling  of  admiration  for  the  young  man  \.'ho  so  freely 
gave  his  life  to  his  country.  Nor  can  it,  I  think,  be  read 
without  a  quickening  sense  of  patriotic  enthusiasm,  and  a 
renewed  devotion  to  the  cause  for  which  he  died.  We  see, 
in  this  as  in  other  histories,  by  what  providential  ways  our 
young  men  have  been  prepared  to  take  the  self-sacrificing 
and  heroic  part  which  they  have  taken  in  the  terrible  con- 
flict in  which  we  are  engaged.  The  cost  of  this  war,  in 
toars  and  blood,  to  uphold  our  Government,  and  save  it 
from  becoming  a  wreck  and  ruin,  is  indeed  great;  but  who 
shall  say  that  it  is  too  great,  so  long  as  it  brings  out  cha- 
racters like  these,  and  holds  up  to  us  such  types  of  self- 
forgetting  manhood  ?  Capt.  Reed  had  been  for  some  time 
acting  as  major  in  command  of  a  battalion.  "While  em- 
ployed in  that  capacity,  he  was  killed  near  Drainsville,  Va., 
on  the  anniversary  of  Washington's  birth-day,  the  22d  of 
February,  1804.      His  funeral  was  at  the  church  of  the 


•20 


11 


Hur.utii]  r'(>fi(;jr'';r!iti<>iiiil  ."ocioty  irj  DorcliOHter,  whore  he 
lijul  \>*'.t:u  iriiirri<;'l  u  liffl';  h;HH  than  fivo  yoar.s  before.  It  is 
HJ.I'IoMi  fhiit  w(!  hiivf;  h';<;n  (in  asH'Tfihly  ko  lar^ro,  and  with 
Hii<:h  cvi'lfjil.  r»iurl<H  of  ^ricf,  as  wan  there  ^'athere*!  to  pay 
tho  laHf,  Uiki-iiH  of  lovf!  ainl  horif>r  t(j  this  hravo  .soldier,  this 
^^fiiiial  fri«!n'l,  this  iipri^'hf.  ati'l  [latriotif  man. 

.Iami;m  Si:\\.\r.i.  Ki;i,t»  wii.s  Ixirii  in  Milton.  ISIass.,  April  3,  18.32. 
nr  liJH  ciiily  lilt',  Imh  HiliMollioy-diiys,  yr)ii  know  probably  as  much 
an  I  ran  Irll  yon.  My  prrnorial  knowlcdf^c  of  liitn  relates  more  to 
IiIh  Caliliirnia  lili! ;  llioii;,'li,  a.s  a  <;liil«l,  I  n-iuember  having  a  mor- 
lal  (Jri'iiil  ol"  liini,  aw  I  alwayH  naw  liiiii  with  a  nun  in  his  hand, 
lie  was  iMi'iirally  of  an  iiiiptilHiv<%  ard(!nt,  cnthu.siastic  character; 
anil  in  IH  III,  (|urin;.MlH'  ra;j;i'  of  tli(!  "  f,'ol(l  fever,"  became  irmch 
inlereHletl  in  California.  Willi  liiiii,  to  think  was  to  do;  and  ho 
beranie  ho  il(!MiroiiM  to  try  his  fortniie  in  that  distant  land,  that  his 
pan>nl.s  reliielantly  ^^ave  their  consitnt,  though  he  was  a  boy  but 
little  more  than  seventeen  years  old.  An  extract  from  his  journal 
nays,  "On  the  .'tOih  oi"  October,  ISI!I,  we  set  sail  from  Boston  in 
the  ;,'ood  ship  '  Argcnnuit,'  bound  to  San  Kraiiciseo  ;  making  up  our 
Miiiids  lor  a  Mile  on  the  ocean-wave.'"  Here,  at  the  outset,  he 
hIiows  himself  possessed  of  the  characleristios  of  a  good  traveller; 
being  always  cheerful,  making  the  best  of  every  event,  never  dis- 
couraged, and  idw/iys  lindiiig  something  pleasant  amid  the  darkest 
scenes.  They  sailed  round  Capo  Horn,  and  made  a  quick  and 
prosperous  voyage  ;  going  on  shore  at  Valparaiso,  eighty-nine  days 
out  from  llosiDn.  On  the  l.'Mh  of  INIaroh,  ISoO,  they  dropped 
anchor  in  the  Hay  of  San  Francisco.  Here  commenced  his  first 
««\peiieiice  ot"  "  camp-life  :  "  for,  on  landing,  ho  pitched  his  tent, 
and  «-ommciici'd  honsc-keeping  ;  washing,  cooking.  &c.,  for  himself, 
lie  immediately  found  ph-nty  of  work;  and,  that  ho  might  lose 
no  time,  h«'  commenced  building  a  Ihit-boat  for  river-travel. 
Kinishing  this,  he  next  tried  his  hand  at  painting;  at  which  he 
continued  for  muuc  weeks.  1 1  is  brother  having  arrived  in  Califor- 
nia, as  soon  as  they  could  get  ready,  they  started  tor  the  mines, 
riiey  wiu-ked  at  mining,  and  were  quite  successful,  some  six  or 
ciiiht   n\ontlis;    uhen,  thinking  their  claim   entirely  worked  out, 


21 


and  bccomiiifj  a  little  tired  of  tlie  life,  they  concluded  to  relnm  to 
San  Frnncisro.  While  mining.',  tliey  lind  ctijoyed  camp-lii'e  in 
perfection,  with  somelinies  a  scarcity  of  provision-,  \viii(  h  were 
very  poor,  even  when  uhundaiit ;  but  the  life  wnn  not  distasteful, 
and  many  pleasant  honrt*  were  fjjent  there.  They  thouf,'ht  tiny 
had  completely  exhausted  the  wealth  of  their  mini! ;  hut  Sewall 
has  since  told  me  that  the  same  dirt  had  been  worked  over  several 
times  since,  and  each  time  had  paid  better  than  the  first,  so  little 
was  mining  understood  in  those  days.  Ueturning  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  soon  obtained  a  situation  with  ISIacondray  &  Co.,  one  of 
the  leading  firms  of  the  city.  At  first,  he  was  employed  in  the; 
lumber-yard,  taking  accoimt  of  the  delivery  and  buying  of  the  ar- 
ticle ;  but  soon  entered  the  store  as  salesman,  where  he  continued, 
winning  the  respect  and  love  of  his  employers,  until  18'j4. 

At  this  time,  all  who  are  acquainted  with  California  history 
will  remember  that  the  moral  dangers  to  which  a  young  niiiu  was 
exposed  were  neither  few  nor  small  ;  and  older,  stronger  men 
often  fell  victims.  But,  from  the  first,  Sewall  had  absolutely  set 
his  face  against  these  things  ;  and  such  was  the  natural  purity 
of  his  character,  his  innate  love  of  goodness  and  truth,  that  what 
to  many  was  enticing,  to  him  was  disgusting  ;  and  few  passed 
through  the  ordeal  of  those  early  California  days  more  free  and 
unconiamiuated  than  he.  His  good  mother's  teachings  here  proved 
their  value :  he  reverenced  that  mother,  and  did  not  forget  her 
while  away. 

His  military  life  commenced  as  early  as  1852  ;  and  I  think  he 
served  in  every  position,  except  first  lieutenant,  from  a  corporal  up 
to  captain,  first  in  the  Eureka  Light  Horse-Guards,  and  afterwards 
the  First  Light  Dragoons.  In  1854,  he  returned  to  his  New- 
England  home  on  a  visit ;  and  had  so  changed  during  the  five 
vears'  absence,  that  even  his  mother  did  not  know  him.  lie  came 
home  via  Nicaragua ;  and  though  the  route  was  in  bad  condition, 
and  detentions  were  frequent,  he  always  found  something  to  enjoy, 
while  many  were  only  annoyed. 

He  retm-ned  to  California  in  November,  1854 ;  and,  soon  afler 
his  arrival  there,  he  went  with  a  friend  into  the  tea-business, 
which  was  quite  successful,  and  in  which  he  continued  to  show  his 
abilities  as  a  business-man. 


P> 


22 


1856  was  a  year  famous  in  California  history  ;  and  he  acted  a 
conspicuous  part  in  that  Vigilance  Committee  which  accomplished 
so  much  for  the  State.  At  this  time,  he  was  captain  of  the  First 
Light  Dragoons.  I  copy  from  his  letter  the  account  of  his  con- 
nection with  the  beginning  of  difficulties.  He  says,  "  On  Sunday, 
I  went  to  Gov.  Johnson,  and  tendered  my  resignaticm  as  captain 
of  the  Dragoons,  telling  him  that  I  was  going  to  join  the  Vigi- 
lance Committee.  He  refused  to  accept  it ;  but  I  joined  them, 
and,  at  eleven  o'clock,  was  sworn  in  by  special  request,  although 
they  did  not  take  any  members  that  day ;  and  I  am  a  member  of 
the  Citizens'  Guard,  a  company  of  a  hundred  and  twenty-five 
men,  used  for  duty  at  the  court-rooms."  At  this  time,  the  Com- 
mittee did  not  themselves  know  the  arduous  duties  that  lay  before 
them ;  and,  after  the  first  difficulty  was  settled,  they  thought  all 
would  be  quiet  again  ;  but  they  were  mistaken.  "When  Sewall 
resigned  his  commission  as  captain  of  the  Dragoons  (most  of  the 
company  having  left  also,  and  joined  the  Vigilance  Committee), 
he  joined  the  Citizens'  Guard  as  a  private.  In  three  days,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  captain  of  one  of  the  companies,  —  the 
Guard  having  been  increased  and  divided  into  four  companies. 
Here  he  remained  for  a  time,  till  he  was  elected  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  Dragoons.  There  was  quite  a  strife  for  a  little  time  as  to 
which  company  should  keep  him  ;  and  it  was  finally  settled  by 
Col.  Olney  himself,  who  said,  that,  for  the  good  of  the  cause, 
Capt.  Reed  must  go  with  the  Dragoons  ;  for  there  were  good 
infantry  officers  in  plenty,  but  few  that  understood  cavalry  as  well 
Capt.  Reed.  So  he  became  captain  of  Company  B,  Citizens' 
Dragoons,  V.C. ;  and  continued  to  act  in  this  capacity  while  he  was 
needed.  His  company  numbered  a  hundred  and  sixty  men.  They 
met  for  drill  every  evening,  and  oftener  if  circumstances  required. 
Business  was  almost  entirely  suspended  during  this  excitement, 
and  all  were  interested  in  learning  "  the  art  of  war."  Men  of 
every  rank  and  position  shouldered  the  musket,  and  stood  in  the 
ranks ;  and  Sewall  often  said  that  he  had  men  in  his  command  old 
enough  to  be  his  father,  yet  all  earnest  and  enthusiastic,  ready  to 
sacrifice  life  and  fortune  in  the  support  of  justice  and  right.  I 
copy  the  account  of  the  taking  of  "Judge  Terry"  as  an  example 
of  the  state  of  excitement  there  :   "  I  was  sitting  in  my  office, 


23 

lu  ...ere  was  trouble  -o™-  ';-•„  'J  ,,„J  for  the  ,M.. 

ately,  as  all  my  aeighbors  «-  '^-";  ■,,.  „..,„, ,  .„,,  I  soon  board 

Men  were  rusbing  througb  ''"»<'»■"»      „f  „,„  vi«ib.n.s ! '     1  I""! 

.be  ery,' Judge  Terry   '»'  ';''^',::a,,„.,.,„rs,  wbere  1  f....,,.   „.y 
„y  borsesadW,  ana  ».«.»■>  for  be    <,     ^^  ^^^^  ^^__^^,^^,_  ,,„,_ 

eompany  present  and  m  1    e-    1 JCP^  ^.„,  „„  ,„,     ,„„„d 

less  tban  b.lf  an  bour  "  '«  *"        „,„,  ,„,,,.„ded  .be  b.nUu.g 
„„<,ng  some  two  .bonsand  men,  «V^  ^^_^^  ,_^^^„  ,,„        ,, 

„hi,ber  Judge  Terry  bad  Bed.    J  d^^___,  .„  „,„„„er  bour 

...onghnotagnnwashredor     n  .^  ^^,^,  _^^^„  „ „oe 

the  cUy  was  quiet  agam.       i^ew  ^„,.,,  ,„  ,earcbmg 

<,„  expeditious  *'» -I"'™' "Id  Sway'  «— '^'^  ""  '""  "'" 

houses,  making  atTes.s,  &e. ,  and         ) 

tiou  of  .be  Committee.  „„4  gewall  became 

Business  iu  the  "'X  ""'T.^^in  Lower  California.    Some 
Interested  in  some  f'-'^/^  ™  '  ^^  y  ,o  locate  .rants,  nnues 
friends  were  going  down  to  '      J'^;.^^^^^^       ,„  „im,  be  concluded 
&c.;  and,  having  l.ad  an  cKcelkntoflcr  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^_,,j,y 

To     eoo.npany  tbem,  *'"•'"«";:  California  at  .be  same  ..me. 

I,  was  a  wild,  almost  n"""";"  ^J' ^    „„e  of  pleasure  rather 
Jure  led  blm  .o  look  ..po..  .1  e  jou.ney  ,_^  ^^.,,„  ,„ 

In  toil.  He  left  San  Franc.sc  •  M^^^^  ^^^.  ^^^^,  p^n, 
Santa  Barbara, -one".  "= -™*;™  i„,  San  Wego,  and  o.her 
here  he  went  to  Los  Ango.os,  Sa.    Ud  ^^^^^^^^^^  ^^  _^,,^,_ 

'Z    in  tbat  vicinity;  r.d.ng  ou  ^^^  happy,  always 

Reading  his  blankets  m  the  "^e     "   '  >^,  „„f„,e  he  ate  it  i  wr.t- 
cbeertul;  often  oUigcd  to  »''oo  '..     "PP  ;,  ,,„,,  ^  Un  plate, 

'ri.  s  letters  ou  his  "•^^^^^iZ^,.^..  -,  riding  sometimes 
:?.milk.pan;  v^Hingm.-.  ;-^;-  ,.„„  ,,,  Me.ica.>s  and 
rixty-«ve  miles  in  a  day  ,  '  »";'  J  ^  ,„own  as  .hey.  H« 
native  Californbms,  '^^^Z^y,  and  being  very  hosp.- 
,peaks  of  tbem  as  treat.ng  ^2,J,„i  goes  into  raptures  oyer  .he 
t^hle  towards  tl.  '^^'=^2^,  J.raCing  bis  at.ent.on.  I 
beautiful  scenery  that 


24 


copy  one  remark  that  will  show  his  love  for  the  "  old  flag : " 
''  I  shall  spend  the  glorious  Fourth  in  Mexican  territory,  and  not 
under  the  '  stars  and  stripes ; '  but  the  American  flag  shall  float 
over  me  that  day,  if  I  can  find  the  cloth  to  make  one."  He  re- 
mained in  this  country  some  nine  months,  and  then  returned  to 
San  Francisco  again.  This  trip  was  a  failure  in  a  pecuniary  point 
of  view  ;  for  he  could  not  get  the  salary  promised,  as  one  of  the 
parties  had  died ;  and  he  returned  rather  discouraged,  his  hopes  of 
success  had  been  so  sanguine. 

He  had  been  in  the  city  but  a  short  time  when  the  "  Frazer- 
River  excitement"  turned  the  heads  of  the  Californians.  Gold 
had  been  discovered  in  large  quantities  in  British  territory,  and  it 
was  thought  it  would  prove  a  second  California.  The  excitement 
in  San  Francisco  was  intense  ;  and,  Avith  the  hope  of  gaining  what 
he  had  lost  in  Lower  California,  Sevvall  determined  to  join  the 
multitude  that  were  hurrying  northward  to  the  new  El  Dorado. 
In  company  with  one  friend,  who  was  to  share  the  hardships  and 
the  success  of  the  trip,  he  left  San  Francisco,  in  June,  1858,  in  a 
steamer  bound  to  Victoria,  Vancouver's  Island.  At  Victoria  they 
purchased  an  Indian  canoe  ;  and,  with  three  other  men,  —  making 
five  in  all,  —  they  commenced  the  journey  up  the  river.  It  was 
a  hundred  miles  to  Fort  Langley,  their  first  landing-place ;  and 
they  intended  to  go  a  hundred  miles  beyond  this.  Their  canoe 
was  heavily  laden,  and  the  river-currents  were  very  strong.  In 
speaking  of  this  journey,  Sewall  says,  "  I  think  it  is  the  hardest 
work  I  have  ever  done  ;  "  and  he  had  done  a  little  ol'  that  during 
his  life. 

He  spent  the  4th  of  July,  1858,  at  Fort  Langley  ;  and,  as  they 
were  on  British  ground,  he  determined  that  an  American  Jag 
should  float  over  their  tent,  on  that  day  at  least.  So,  the  previous 
day,  he  set  himself  to  work  to  make  a  flag  that  should  be  a  re- 
minder of  his  home  ;  and  thai  dag  is  now  in  my  possession.  An 
old  red  flannel  shirt  furnished  the  material  of  that  color,  aa  old 
white  shirt  was  torn  up  for  the  white,  while  a  blue  blanket  fur- 
nished the  field  for  the  stars.  He  could  not  make  the  stars  to 
suit  him ;  and  so  he  cut  the  figures  '7G  out  of  some  white,  and 
sewed  it  upon  the  blue  ;  and  this  flag  floated  over  his  tent  on  that 
day,  on  that  British  soil.     Here,  too,  he  had  only  his  tent  to  iive 


^'•) 


i 


in,  his  blankets  lor  u  Ijod,  and  was  obliged  to  do  his  own  cooking, 
washing,  &c. 

They  went  up  the  river  as  far  as  Fort  Yale  ;  and,  not  being 
able  to  go  any  farther  in  their  boats,  they  landed,  and  proceeded 
by  land  some  twenty  miles  over  the  mountains  on  ioot,  and  heavily 
laden,  as  there  were  neither  horses  nor  nmles  in  that  country. 
About  twenty  miles  above  Fort  Yale,  he  and  his  friends  staked 
out  a  claim,  and  again  commenced  mining,  as  sanguine  of  success 
as  though  disappointment  had  never  crossed  his  path.  Until  the 
gold  excitement,  no  one  had  travelled  this  country  but  Indians. 
The  Hudson-Bay  Company  had  a  few  men  at  the  different  forts  or 
trading-posts ;  but  they  did  not  travel  about  the  country. 

The  Indians  called  tliem  "  King  George's  men,"  and  the  Ame- 
ricans they  called  "  Boston."  Tiie  same  qualities  which  gained 
him  friends  among  the  Mexicans  in  California  won  the  friendship 
of  the  Indians  of  this  northern  land  ;  and  many  were  the  presents 
of  fish,  berries,  &c.,  tliat  he  received  from  them.  But  all  were 
not  so  well  disposed,  as  one  event  in  this  history  will  prove. 
Sewall  Avas  one  day  sitting  in  his  tent,  when  suddenly  there  came 
in  an  Indian  chief  with  some  four  or  five  of  his  tril)e.  At  first, 
Sewall,  thinking  no  evil,  took  little  notice  of  them;  but  they  soon 
commenced  looking  about  them,  and  gathering  up  such  articles  as 
they  could  see,  intending  to  take  them  away.  Sewall  was  alone  ; 
but,  seizing  his  revolver,  he  stepped  forward,  bidding  theui  not  to 
lay  a  finger  on  an  article,  or  he  would  shoot  them  all.  His  reso- 
lute daring  cowed  the  chief ;  and  he  fell  on  his  knees,  and  begged 
for  life.  Sewall  bade  him  get  up  ;  which  he  did,  saying,  "  Boston 
good  Indian,  Boston  no  coward !  "  His  partner  soon  returned, 
and  has  since  told  me  that  he  had  no  doubt  Sewall's  courage  saved 
both  their  lives  ;  for  those  Indians  were  very  unfriendly  to  the 
whites.  From  this  'tihie,  tlie  chief,  with  all  his  tribe,  were  Sew- 
all's  warmest  friends, —  constiuitly  bringing  him  little  presents  of 
such  as  they  had;  and  it  was  not  long  before  it  was  in  his 
power  to  do  them  a  kindness.  Tiie  various  tribes  of  the  upper 
country  had  troubled  the  miners  so  nuich,  that,  at  last,  the  miners 
determined  to  exterminate  the  whole  number.  Sewall  heard  of 
the  organization,  though  he  did  not  join  them.  He  was  oome  dis- 
tance from  the  white  settlements  which  had  been  annoyed,  —  they 


26 


being  some  forty  miles  farther  up  the  river;  but,  feeling  that  his 
Indian  friends  were  in  danger,  he  determined  to  save  them  if  pos- 
sible. I  copy  his  words :  "  Three  of  us  started  io.  the  Indian 
ranch  just  before  dark,  on  the  same  evening  that  the  company  of 
miners  were  to  perform  their  work  of  extermination.  As  I  Avas 
the  only  one  who  could  speak  the  Chinook  tongue^  1  told  the  chief 
that  he  must  pack  up  and  leave  for  the  mountains  immediately,  or 
the  whites  would  kill  them.  In  less  time  than  I  could  tell  them, 
they  were  packed,  and  ready  to  leave,  bag  and  baggage."  The 
old  chief  shook  hands  with  them,  and  gratefully  thanked  them, 
saying  they  would  not  forget  it.  That  veiy  night,  their  houses 
were  burned ;  and  they  would  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  rest, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  warning.  Very  early  the  next 
morning,  Sewall  was  awakened  by  a  visit  from  the  old  chief,  with 
a  present  for  him ;  and,  while  he  remained  in  the  country,  they 
were  his  constant  friends. 

The  Frazer-River  gold  mines  proving  somewhat  of  a  humbug, 
they  left  the  coimtry  in  November,  returning  to  San  Francisco  not 
much  richer  in  worldly  goods  than  when  they  left,  but  with  a 
larger  experience,  and  many  pleasing  recollections  of  hours  spent 
there,  Sewall,  through  all  this  time,  never  once  alludes  to  the 
hardships  and  discomforts,  except  to  mention  the  facts  ;  and  always 
was  cheerful,  and  sanguine  of  success.  He  engaged  with  his 
whole  heart  and  mind  and  strength  in  every  scheme  which  inte- 
rested him,  and  never  gave  up  till  he  was  convinced  that  he  had 
exhausted  the  whole.  He  was  very  expert  in  the  use  of  tools  ; 
very  quick  and  active ;  and  I  have  heard  it  said  of  him,  that  few 
men  could  accomplish  so  much  in  a  given  time  as  he  could.  lu 
speaking  of  his  travels,  he  says,  "  I  have  travelled  about  some  in 
my  life.  I  have  been  south  as  far  as  latitude  fifty-six  degrees,  and 
here  I  am  at  fifty  degrees  north.  I  have  lived  under  Chilian, 
Mexican,  and  English  governments  ;  and  the  only  way  a  man  can 
truly  prize  our  own  glorious  Republic  is  to  see  and  travel  in  foreign 
lands.     I  am  a  thorough  American,  and  I  glory  in  it." 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1859,  Sewall  again  came  East ;  and  we 
were  married  the  25th  of  May,  1859  ;  and,  in  September  of  the 
same  year,  we  returned  to  California.  Sewall  now  determined  to 
settle  down,  and  enjoy  tlie  pleasures  of  domestic  life,  which  pos- 


27 


. 


sessed  an  especial  charm  for  one  who  had  been  so  long  a  wanderer. 
He  purchased  a  ranch  some  sixty  miles  from  San  Francisco  ;  and 
there,  in  quiet  happiness,  he  devoted  his  lime  (o  the  cultivation  of 
his  ranch.  We  had  lived  tlu^ro  about  a  year,  Avhcn,  even  in  our 
distant  home,  avc  heard  the  nation's  cry  of  alarm  at  the  fall  of 
Sumter;  and  when  he  heard  of  tiie  mustering  of  armies,  and 
knew  that  danger  was  tiireatening  that  land  he  loved  so  well,  he 
would  often  say  to  me,  "  If  I  were  only  a  single  man,  I  should 
certainly  go  East,  and  join  the  army."  Even  as  early  as  this,  he 
began  again  the  study  of  military  science,  and  interested  himself 
in  all  pertaining  to  it;  and,  in  the  summer  of  18G1,  he  joined  a 
company  of  men,  as  private,  who  met  for  drill  and  instruction  in 
military  matters ;  but,  knowing  full  as  much  as  any  of  them,  he 
was  frequently  the  instructor.  During  this  time,  his  mind  was 
unsettled  ;  his  thoughts  were  often  dwelling  on  the  danger  that  was 
threatening  that  land  he  loved  ;  and  I  have  often  heard  him  say, 
"  that  if  this,  the  best  government  the  sun  shone  on,  was  destroyed, 
he  should  not  wish  to  live."  He  would  have  joir'od  the  army  at 
this  time,  had  it  not  been  for  me  ;  but  1  could  not  give  him  up.  In 
November,  18G1,  we  again  returned  to  San  Francisco,  —  an  excel- 
lent situation  being  offered  him  tiiere,  together  with  a  better  oppor- 
tunity to  serve  his  State  as  a  military  man ;  for  at  that  time  it  was 
seriously  thought  that  there  would  be  trouble  there.  A  now  zeal 
had  been  given  to  the  different  military  organizations  ;  and  he  was 
soon  re-elected  captain  of  his  old  company,  —  the  First  Light  Dra- 
goons, —  having  resigned  that  position  when  in  Lower  California. 
Here  I  hoped  he  would  be  content,  and  gratify  his  love  of  military 
life  as  captain  of  that  splendid  company ;  but  his  heart  was  with 
those  noble  men  who  were  saci'ificing  their  all  for  their  country, 
and  again  and  again  was  the  unwelcome  subject  discussed  between 
us.  I  had  felt  that  there  were  plenty  of  men  here,  that  there  was 
no  lack  of  material,  and  that  his  services  were  not  needed ;  but 
when  I  heard  that  men  were  loss  willing  than  formerly  to  volun- 
teer, and  that  drafting  even  must  bu  resorted  to  in  Massachusetts, 
I  felt  that  it  was  my  duty  to  give  up  my  precious  husband  to  the 
cause.  I  saw  that  good  men  were  needed,  and  I  knew  how  admi- 
rably adapted  he  Avas  for  the  life  ;  and  I,  too,  loved  my  country 
too  well  to  see  her  destroyed  without   doing  my  all  to  save  lier. 


28 


I  had  no  sooner  given  my  consent  tlhin  he  proceeded  to  act ;  and, 
with  oilier  Masf^achu.scttfs  men,  formed  a  plan,  the  result  of  -which 
you  know.  A  finer  body  of  men  than  the  California  Hundred,  as 
they  were  called,  was  scarcely  to  be  found  in  any  State ;  and  they 
left  San  Francisco,  Dec.  11,  18G2,  for  Boston;  arriving  in  New 
York  the  2d  of  January,  and  in  Readvillc  the  next  morning. 
They  formed  Company  A,  Second  INIassachusetts  Cavalry.  They 
remained  in  camp  a  little  more  than  a  month ;  when  they  were 
ordered  to  Gloucester  Point,  Va.  Here  tliey  were  chiefly  engageil 
in  picketing,  scouting,  «S:c. ;  in  all  of  which  thoy  performed  the  vari- 
ous duties  assigned  them  so  as  to  win  the  respect  of  their  com- 
manding oflicers.  In  April,  the  rebels  came  down  upon  Fort 
JNIagruder  and  Williamsburg ;  and  Capt.  Reed  was  ordered  there 
in  command  of  a  s(iuadron.  Our  force  there  was  not  large ;  yet, 
contrary  to  their  expectations,  they  were  not  attacked ;  and,  after 
a  stay  of  about  a  month,  the  command  returned  to  Gloucester 
Point.  They  remained  here  about  a  month  longer ;  when  they 
received  orders  to  join  Col.  Spear's  command  in  his  raid  up  the 
Peninsula,  and  here  they  siiw  their  first  severe  fighting.  I  send 
you  a  letter  from  one  of  the  members  of  the  company  describing 
the  taking  of  the  South  Anna  Bridge,  which  was  done  by  Sewall's 
command.  It  is  not  for  me  to  speak  of  his  coolness  and  bravery  ; 
but  I  can  say  that  his  actions  at  that  time  but  increased  ihe  respect 
and  confidence  of  his  men.  They  approached  quite  nea'*  Ricli- 
mond  at  that  time,  and  were  successful  as  to  the  object  of  the 
expedition.  Soon  after  their  return,  they  were  ordered  to  join  the 
army  in  the  defences  of  Washington ;  and  Avei'e  finally  camped  at 
Vienna,  Va.  For  the  last  four  or  five  months  of  his  life,  Sewall 
had  commanded  a  battalion,  though  not  commissioned  as  major  ; 
and  no  ollicer  in  tlie  whole  regiment  was  more  popular  or  more 
respected.  Of  the  closing  scenes  of  his  life,  I  presume  you  are 
informed.  It  seems  so  sad,  he  was  so  young,  and  just  upon  the 
verge  of  military  life,  —  so  promising,  so  beloved;  but 'tis  Aveli. 
He  gave  his  life  to  that  country  he  loved  so  much,  and  fell  as  a 
brav'i  soldier  wishes  to  die.  Had  he  remained  in  San  Francisco, 
he  V  )uld  have  attained  distinction  in  civil  life;  but  he  cared  not 
fo!  J. 


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